A Really, Really Good Book on Engine Building

[Brian Rupnow]

I have reached a point of total "Burn out" on building model engines. I want to coast for a while now. I have a number of good books on building small scale engines, such as "The Shop Wisdom of Philip Duclos" published by Village Press in Traverse City Michigan. "Model Four Cycle Engines" by L.C. Mason, and "Miniature Internal Combustion Engines" by Malcolm Stride. I'm not really after small engine plans, although if they are in a book I will certainly look at them. I am interested in a book that takes me beyond the basics of model engine building. I have a difficult time expressing exactly what I want. Can anyone point me towards a book which they consider excellent, which deals with design and fabrication of small internal combustion engines (Not steam engines).---Thank You.---Brian Rupnow

 

[deverett]

Do you want to build a full size model engine? How about a Parsell and Weed 1/4 h.p. gas engine? The engine was designed to power a home workshop lathe.
There is/was a book produced by Lindsey Publications entitled Gas Engine Construction. Originally written in 1900, it describes how a 'modern' gas engine works and goes on to describe the patterns required to produce the castings for machining in the home workshop.
An interesting read just to realise what primitive tools were available to the early home machinist.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

 

[dsage]

The Parcell and Weed in full size is a beast. 90 pounds plus and has 14" flywheels.
I re-drew the plans from the original book circa 1902(ish) and built it.

You can see it run here:
http://www.davesage.ca/parcell and weed.htmlIt's being held down to a Workmate with a clamp

BTW. I believe it's 1/2 hp.

The original book is available on:
https://archive.org/using the same name as the Lindsay publication "Gas Engine Construction".
In fact the Lindsay book is just a reproduction of the original.
The Lindsay re-production is very difficult to find.

To stay on topic:
If you search on Archive.org you will find a lot of old books on internal combustion engines free that will give you some ideas and provide some good reading.

 

[Charles Lamont]

I don't know of any 'advanced' text.

E T Westbury's 'Model Petrol Engines' you should probably have. It won't add a lot of new info, but it doesn't take up much space and is a classic any IC model builder should have in his bookcase.

A book on full size engines might also offer a great deal of useful bed-time reading. I appropriated my dad's 1955 copy of 'Modern Petrol Engines' by Arthur Judge.

 

[davidyat]

Brian, I know exactly where you're coming from. I got to about 85% of building your Simple Beam Engine. Then I hit "burn out". For about the last 6 months, I've gotten back to my original love, car models, mostly in 1/8 scale. I'm currently working on a 1970 Porsche 917 from IXO Collections in France and a 1967 Ford GT 40 from Model Space.
Grasshopper

 

[Saddo]

How about this for inspiration Brian.
https://www.camdenmin.co.uk/product...con-special-price?_pos=1&_sid=3605591e4&_ss=r
It's big enough to really power something.

I know what you mean when you need something to inspire and excite to get creative again.
Brian

 

[Richard Hed]

I hope you find something. As for myself, I am trhying to find plans for rotary tables but I can't seem to find any. Anyone know of some?

 

[Gordon]

I hope you find something. As for myself, I am trhying to find plans for rotary tables but I can't seem to find any. Anyone know of some?

http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/mill/rotary/rotary1.html
This is a small one. I built one and it works well.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I just tried to buy "Model petrol engines: their design, construction and use" by Edgar T Westbury. It seems to be sold out everywhere. Five sites I looked at were sold out and one site tried to download a horrible virus onto my computer, but my anti-virus program caught it and stopped it from downloading.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I just ordered the Westbury book mentioned in the previous post from Amazon.

 

[wburnett2922]

I have reached a point of total "Burn out" on building model engines. I want to coast for a while now. I have a number of good books on building small scale engines, such as "The Shop Wisdom of Philip Duclos" published by Village Press in Traverse City Michigan. "Model Four Cycle Engines" by L.C. Mason, and "Miniature Internal Combustion Engines" by Malcolm Stride. I'm not really after small engine plans, although if they are in a book I will certainly look at them. I am interested in a book that takes me beyond the basics of model engine building. I have a difficult time expressing exactly what I want. Can anyone point me towards a book which they consider excellent, which deals with design and fabrication of small internal combustion engines (Not steam engines).---Thank You.---Brian Rupnow

 

[wburnett2922]

I have reached a point of total "Burn out" on building model engines. I want to coast for a while now. I have a number of good books on building small scale engines, such as "The Shop Wisdom of Philip Duclos" published by Village Press in Traverse City Michigan. "Model Four Cycle Engines" by L.C. Mason, and "Miniature Internal Combustion Engines" by Malcolm Stride. I'm not really after small engine plans, although if they are in a book I will certainly look at them. I am interested in a book that takes me beyond the basics of model engine building. I have a difficult time expressing exactly what I want. Can anyone point me towards a book which they consider excellent, which deals with design and fabrication of small internal combustion engines (Not steam engines).---Thank You.---Brian Rupnow

Send pay pal did you receive for pl

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Nothing from Paypal at this time 5:48 Ontario time.

 

[Richard Hed]

http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/mill/rotary/rotary1.html
This is a small one. I built one and it works well.

Hey thanx Gordon. I have been troubling my little hed for many hours trying to find something like this. It will be easy to scale up. I found a few utub vids which I COULD make drawings from, but that is an awful lot of trouble. In all the things peeps make utub vids about, I am surprized that there aren't a lot more on this one. Often the Russians make nice vids on different topics but not this one, at least that I could find. Anyway, it's the drawings I want, not a vid. I'm very excited about this and am going to start RIGHT NOW. Thanx again!

 

[Richard Hed]

I just tried to buy "Model petrol engines: their design, construction and use" by Edgar T Westbury. It seems to be sold out everywhere. Five sites I looked at were sold out and one site tried to download a horrible virus onto my computer, but my anti-virus program caught it and stopped it from downloading.

I have had the same problem with several books including the Westbury. I'm surprized someone doesn't publish another edition. Did you know that the modern publishing is such that they can print a single book now, and it's cost is the same as if they published 10,000?

 

[Ghosty]

Brian,
Another book if your are interested in ignition systems is "Ignition Coils and Magnetos in Miniature" By Bob Shores
Three book I have.
Cheers
Andrew

 

[Jasonb]

I have had the same problem with several books including the Westbury. I'm surprized someone doesn't publish another edition. Did you know that the modern publishing is such that they can print a single book now, and it's cost is the same as if they published 10,000?

The Westbury one is in it's third or fourth reprint and as I told Brian on another forum is available from the current publisher and I expect other sources too.

https://www.teepublishing.co.uk/books/for-the-aeromodeller-engine-builder/model-petrol-engines/

 

[firebird]

Hi
I built a 7'' rotary table a while back and has been very useful. I made pretty much everything myself including the worm and gear. You can find a full write up here
Building a 7" rotary table (modelenginemaker.com)
Hope that helps

Cheers

Rich

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Brian,
On the subject of an "Interesting" engine to build... My Dad's favourite engine was on a road roller - dead easy to start by hand-cranking - and when started it had a good dynamo that could be used to boost the battery of anything else that needed a boost to get started. He reckoned after being parked outside over-night in the Welsh mountains, it was the best way to get all the plant going in the mornings! I think it was a Lister 3-cylinder diesel. He told me the 3-cylinder arrangement meant the cylinders were smaller than a single or twin of the same power, and there was just a much easier swing to start it as a result. - Probabubly an OHV arrangement? - It powered the roller via an hydraulic pump arrangement.

- Maybe you could make a 3-cylinder OHV of around 2 cu.in. (30cc) displacement? (1" Bore and 1" stroke?). That should be capable of powering a nice little generator!
The water-cooling of block and head should add to the machining fun, and making a water-pump, oil pump, distributor and spark-plugs can add to the challenge? I'm sure the crank, rods, pistons and piston rings are just "regular parts" for you now.
K2

 

[Larry G.]

Hey thanx Gordon. I have been troubling my little hed for many hours trying to find something like this. It will be easy to scale up. I found a few utub vids which I COULD make drawings from, but that is an awful lot of trouble. In all the things peeps make utub vids about, I am surprized that there aren't a lot more on this one. Often the Russians make nice vids on different topics but not this one, at least that I could find. Anyway, it's the drawings I want, not a vid. I'm very excited about this and am going to start RIGHT NOW. Thanx again!

Dean's TAIG site has a link to nice drawings done by Steven Campbell of the rotary table;

http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/mill/rotary/rotary.pdf
The next logical step will be for someone to make the solid model, and then 3D print it.

Best regards,
Larry